The New Mituna
by AvengingBlue
Summary: Cronus will admit to having a bit of a problem keeping his emotions in check (especially with Mituna around), but things take a turn for the worst after the accident left his friend mentally handicapped.


He didn't always hate him. In fact, they used to be okay with each other. Sure, they would say a mean thing here and there, but that's just how the team worked; they were fitting in. In all honesty, he respected Mituna. The lowblood was a powerful psionic and was very well liked throughout the group. He was smart and witty and sort of attractive. Cronus could easily appreciate these things about him, but he did tend to go off on tangents and was prone to violent mood swings, which personally made him not want to be around the Gemini quite as much. Regardless, he considered himself to be Mituna's friend, whether the feeling was mutual or not, and ended up spending more time around him than most everyone else. Why that was is beyond him, but he certainly didn't regret it until after the accident happened.

Cronus wasn't there to see the event, but rumor tells that Mituna's moirail, Kurloz, was present the entire time. The outcome was tragic for him and everyone around him. Losing your powers is something one might cope with over time, but permanent brain damage isn't repairable even by Zahhak's standards. It upset everyone, especially Latula. He smiled at her as she covered his face with that stupid helmet he so loved to wear when he skateboarded before. The sea dweller remembers saying that he looks stupid with that headgear on, but now the phrase carries a whole new weight.

Talking to him became more difficult. Cronus took pride in being there for his friends, but it turns out that this new Mituna only made him angry all the time. The aggression he tried so hard to hold back with everyone else somehow broke out of its manacles and assaulted the one person who deserved it least. Cronus has let his anger get the best of him before, but normally Mituna would have said something just as cruel if not worse in response. After the incident all he ever did was smile or say that he's sorry.

"Stop apologizing," Cronus growled. "It makes you look weak. Weaker than you already are." He could feel his blood begin to boil. It was only five minutes into the conversation and already he was feeling his anger in the form of a tight knot in his throat. It hurt to swallow, and that only made him angrier.

"I'm thorry," Mituna replied, lowering his head to look at the ground. Mituna wouldn't have said that. He would have come up with some sort of respectable retort. Something that would get under Cronus's skin.

"I said stop it!" Without thinking, Cronus roughly pushed at the lowblood's shoulders, forcing him to lose his balance and land on his ass. Under normal circumstances Cronus would immediately regret having done that, but for some reason he only wanted to hurt Mituna. He thought, for some ungodly reason, that hurting him would snap him out of his state of stupidity. Maybe instinct would take over and he would come back as the friend he had made before he saved everyone's life.

This state of mind stayed with him as he delivered an upward kick, hitting Captor's jaw with such force that his upper teeth dug painfully into his lower lip. Soon blood and saliva were flowing down his chin as he subconsciously licked at the wound, not saying a word as he lay there, now on his back. Mituna's hands were shaking in their place, hovering just above his mouth. Cronus found that he couldn't take the silence. He stalked up to the land dweller and straddled him, moving the hands away only to violently pull the helmet off and throw it off to the side.

There, Cronus made eye contact with blue and red. It was always difficult for him to tell where Captor was looking, but for some reason this time he knew they were looking directly at each other. Past the lighter gray welts that scarred his upper face, Mituna looked genuinely scared. What's to happen to him next? What did he do wrong? None of this mattered to Cronus. All he knew is that he wanted his old friend back. He ground his teeth before raising a fist and bringing it down on Mituna's cheek. This warranted a whimper from the troll below.

"Latula," he whined. Diluted yellow tears were beginning to form in his bifurcated eyes. How dare he call for someone's help? This isn't what Mituna would've done!

Cronus, blind in his rage now, grabbed a handful of Mituna's hair and lifted his head up before slamming it onto the floor. He did this a time or two more, and could feel the lowblood's hands on his chest, pushing him away weakly.

"I want my friend back," Cronus yelled, pressing Mituna's head onto the floor.

"Head," Mituna mewled. He obviously didn't like the pressure, but he did nothing about it. Why didn't he do anything? Suddenly he began shouting in what Cronus could only call tongues. Nothing he said made any sense and he's sure they weren't words in any language. This upset Cronus so he did the only thing he could think to do to shut him up. Balling his fist, he blindly threw punch after punch at Mituna. Sometimes he would miss completely, but most of the time he would connect with his face or neck or chest. Now fully aware that his friend wasn't coming back, he figured that the only thing he wanted now was for him to lie still. Killing him would put him out of his misery, right? He can't be making anyone happy being the way he is.

Despite the constant strikes, Mituna did nothing but helplessly call for Latula. Cronus wasn't afraid of her, but he didn't want anyone to find him beating up a mentally handicapped nineteen-year-old.

A cloud of doubt formed in his mind. It's been maybe a minute and Latula hasn't shown any sign of arrival. Maybe he can kill the retard in peace. Of course not. Another ten seconds passed and he felt someone grab his arm.

"What are you doing? Get off of him!" Cronus was pulled up and off of Mituna within the next second, standing back as the grip left him and found Captor. He watched Latula cradle her beloved matesprit as he curled into her, sobbing heavily into her chest. She glared at Cronus. "What were you thinking? He could have died!"

The diluted yellow he saw before mixed with the thicker mustard color of Mituna's blood, and it made him feel guilty. The same blood coated his left hand, and he looked at it with a combination of sadness and disgust. He was supposed to be there for his friends, yet he nearly killed the closest thing to a friend he ever had.

"He hurt me," came the muffled voice of Mituna through the fabric of Latula's outfit. "Latula..." He trembled as the addressed gently planted her hands on either side of his head and lifted it away so she could see the damage. Cronus could only see blood. His face was almost difficult to recognize.

"You poor thing. This will heal. Don't feel so bad; you'll be okay." Kind words spilled from Latula's mouth as she stared at her boyfriend with a gentle expression. Mituna pulled his head out of Latula's grasp and lowered himself back onto her body to hide again, only allowing her to wrap her arms around him.

"You should leave," she stated simply. "Now." She didn't look away from Mituna, but Cronus could tell the statement was directed toward himself. Intensity was dripping off her words.

Cronus almost shrank in on himself, but managed to stay strong and nod before turning tail. He didn't run nor drag his feet. He tried to walk as normally as possible in an attempt to leave with at least a shred of dignity about him. As he left he could hear Mituna speak.

"I hate him. I hate him. He'th tho mean," he would manage between sobs.

"I know. It's okay," Latula responded, probably stroking his hair as she waited the moment out.

On the way down a hallway Cronus accidentally bumped into Kurloz.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Kurloz only glared at him. He knew. He had to have known. How could he have heard? This can't be right. Maybe Cronus was only seeing things. Quickly, he pushed past the frightening clown-themed troll and made his way further away from Mituna and anyone else involved with him.

Eventually he felt he was far enough away to sit down and reflect as he is prone to do every now and then. Mustard blood stained his white shirt and the back of his hand, and purple tears fell down his cheeks as he thought. He dare not make a sound in fear of anyone finding him, but even he couldn't help regretting what he had just done.

He's always tried to be there for everyone who bothered with him, but if he can't get a retard like Mituna to like him then he doesn't stand a chance against anyone else. Once this story gets around no one will even want to look at him much less be his friend. He didn't do this completely on purpose, either, but he'll be damned if anyone believes that.

Honestly, all he wanted was to get his old friend back. He wanted those conversations again or to at least have a coherent discussion. He wondered, why did he have to sacrifice himself for the sake of everyone else? Cronus began to think about whether he would take death over the loss of a friend or not, and eventually came to the conclusion that he probably would rather die. It serves him right after what he's just done.

Despite his previous realization, it took a while longer for the highblood to fully recognize that no matter what he did Mituna will probably stay the way he is now until he finally stops breathing. It will be – to put it poetically – beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. He doesn't consider it a horrible thought to believe that watching him die will be a gift from any greater power, for he will finally be free from his prison in the afterlife and continue on happily with a healed mental state.

The corner of Cronus's mouth twitched a little from the thought of Mituna's ultimate freedom. For some reason it made him happy. Now was no time for smiling, though. The afterlife probably isn't even real, and it's not even certain that those who "move on" are healed of all their issues. Reality is right here and right now no matter how much here and now sucks. Here and now is the worst thing, really. Cronus would much rather have killed himself than have to face his friends after that day. Unfortunately, facing his peers is just another thing he'll have to push himself through.


End file.
